Coast guard rescues 15 Chinese nationals

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol- At least 15 Chinese nationals were rescued on Tuesday night after they were stranded on island in Bohol where they took shelter from the wrath of tropical storm “Basyang.”

It was not clear if they had a connecting flight, but they took the chance to go to Cebu City on board a chartered motorized banca after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) suspended sea travel because of the typhoon.

They left Getafe town at 2:30 p.m. on board an undocumented boat, said Ensign Nygel Khan Pia, deputy commander of PCG-Tagbilaran.

Pia said the PCG received a call from a staff member of the Chinese Consulate in Cebu that a chartered motor banca with 15 Chinese nationals on board had been missing.

A rescue team was formed and scoured the seas, particularly the route that pumpboat could have taken in going to Cebu.

The search brought the team to Cabul-an Island, in Buenavista town, where they found the foreigners seeking shelter from the storm.

It turned out that the pumpboat encountered engine trouble, forcing the crew to dock on the island.

Pia said the banca operator would face charges for defying the PCG directive not to sail because of the typhoon.

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